The Steel Guitar Forum

I won't say anything to my freind in Jersey till i hear from you.

Richard, there are many players on this forum that have experience vastly superior to mine, but I've been playing sg for 50 years and psg for about 40. First question you must answer is what type of music you most often play. For CW, E9 is the way to go. But for older Texas swing stuff, jazz, rock, etc., C6 is more often used. (This doesn't mean you can't play cw on C6 or swing on E9 - just that it's a more common - and easier way to go.) So, if you are gonna play cw exclusively, a single neck, 10 string, 3 to 5 pedal, 4 or 5 knee lever guitar is a fit. If you are more versatile, either a universal or a d10 or d12 are better choices. The universal has the advantage of having most - or all - of the changes - and sound patterns of both e9 and c6 on a single 12 string neck. It's not as heavy as a d10 or d12 and has the advantage of having more fat bottom notes when playing e9 style. As for what kind to buy: Emmons, sho-bud, GFI, Derby, a dozen others. My personal favorites are MSA and Sierra because they are excellent instruments - but not as desired by many players, thus are a better value (read: quality instruments at a lower price!) The disadvantage to the Sierra and older MSA's is weight. They are heavy. But a Cadillac is heavier than a Chevy! I would stay away from a "student model". They are not easily upgradeable, and usually do not show the same craftsmanship and quality as professional guitars. And lastly, buy used instruments from someone on this forum, or from a reputable STEEL GUITAR dealer. You may get a great value from eBay or from some music store not familiar with steel guitars, but you'll probably have to have the axe rebuilt to bring it up to par. Remember, all talk of tone aside, the psg is a MACHINE and subject to wear and tear much more than your tele. (They're a heck of a lot harder to keep in tune, too. lol)

RC, I have not had any sort of responce from Richard, so if you are interested in my '06 model steel contact me by e-mail or daytime phone at 512.916.5060.

Jerry

I'll contact my friend from Jersey tonight.

Richard, I started out with a brand new shobud pro1, when i learned to play steel ,glad i spent the money. still have it , my wife ,wont let me sell it. at one time .I bought a carter starter , while, i had some work done on my pro1, that was the biggest mistake i ever made. what a piece of junk, period .i all most ,made a campfire steel out of it. i was very unhappy ,with the quality of it, it was unplayable. i had several steel player look at it, and they said it was a piece of firewood .i call carter,same old song and dance, they told me,it s not a high end steel guitar,that if i was serious about playing i would buy a better guitar. all i wanted was to have it play right. stay away from the starter.could not keep mine in tune, i gave it away . he probably, wont talk to me,anymore.